Interest Clubs at the Library
Women’s Club “Sunday Gathering”
The women’s club “Sunday Gathering” was founded in 1992 on the initiative of Nataliia Semenivna Ruban, a librarian at the Central Library of the Velyka Oleksandrivka Centralized Library System. She remained the club’s dedicated leader for nearly 19 years, until May 2011.
Her idea was to bring together mature representatives of the local intelligentsia within the library: former teachers, healthcare professionals, cultural workers, civil servants, and veterans of war and labour. These were people who had worked hard throughout their lives, earned respect and recognition, remained sensitive to the pain of others, and were willing to share their life experience, thoughts, and dreams.
Main Objectives of the Club
The club was created so that the library could become the following for retired women readers:
- a centre of social activity;
- a place for communication and recreation;
- a space where they could obtain the information they needed.
The club aimed to promote the revival and popularisation of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people, as well as outstanding Ukrainian and international works of literature, art, and music.
Meetings were held every month, on the last Sunday of the month. The club had 31 members — creative, talented, and socially active people of different ages and professions. Marharyta Ivanivna Podchezertseva served as the club’s long-standing coordinator.
Meeting Formats
Each club meeting had its own format, but books and the library always remained at its heart.
The club organised:
- family celebrations such as “Woman, Mother, Guardian of the Home” and “Reading Together as a Family”;
- musical evenings such as “Forever Beloved by the People” about Liudmila Zykina, “Destiny Sings Through His Voice” about Dmytro Hnatiuk, “Master of Inspiration” about Yurii Rybchynskyi, and “My Words Became a Song” about Vadym Kryshchenko;
- literary evenings such as “A Skilled Rider of Pegasus” about Svitlana Bohun and “The Bard of the Inhulets Region” about Anatolii Anastasiiev;
- book presentations, including “Holy Kyiv” and “In the Embrace of the Steppe”;
- legal discussions with a lawyer, notary, judge, and prosecutor;
- thematic, creative, and educational meetings.
One especially memorable event was a musical meeting with the folk ensemble “Krynychanka”, whose members cherish, preserve, and share traditional folk songs with the public.
Health School and “Tasty Days”
For 15 years, the club hosted a health school led by district physician Lidiia Sihai.
A particularly engaging event format known as a “tasty day” was introduced especially for the women’s club. During these meetings, participants learned about milk, chocolate, salt, porridge, potatoes, Ukrainian borshch, and many other foods and dishes. The themed talks were accompanied by food tastings.
Virtual Journeys
The club members were especially fond of virtual journeys:
- “We Are Going to Paris”;
- “Your Beauty Is Forever in the Heart” — about Lakes Synevyr and Svitiaz;
- “The Attractions of a Distant Continent” — about Australia;
- “The Modest Charm of Georgia”;
- “Along the Roads of Crimea”.
The club’s guests included local craftswomen Oksana Stefaniuk and Valentyna Antoniuk, as well as artist Mykhailo Voloshyn.
The Club’s Atmosphere
Following a cherished tradition, every meeting took place in a relaxed and warm atmosphere. Each participant had the opportunity to share personal impressions and thoughts.
The events brought together the interests of different generations and helped participants feel socially fulfilled, involved in good causes, and respected by those around them.
Continuing the Traditions
In June 2011, Nataliia Semenivna Ruban handed over the leadership of the club to Larysa Krytchenko. She continued the traditions of “Sunday Gathering” while also introducing a creative approach to virtual journeys, using IT technologies and internet access made available through a grant from the Bibliomist programme.
Larysa Krytchenko also initiated the creation of the “Care and Attention Service” — a programme of extended support for elderly people and club members who were no longer able to visit the library because of their health.
The programme was based on traditional forms of library and social support:
- delivering books to people’s homes;
- individual visits;
- material assistance.
Cooperation and the Club Archive
The “Sunday Gathering” club worked in close cooperation with the District House of Culture and the District Council of Veterans.
Musical and vocal performances during the meetings were provided by Viktor Matsak, Petro Postolatin, and the folk trio “Zhyva Voda”.
For many years, the club archive carefully preserved newspaper clippings, photographs, poetic greetings, and event scripts. All these materials became part of the club’s history.
The End of the Club’s Activities
In 2021, the activities of the “Sunday Gathering” club came to an end.
For many years, the club brought people together, offered comfort, and gave its members wonderful moments of joy, warmth, and communication.
Docudays UA Film Club: A Page of Our History and Faith in the Future 🎬🕊️
Since 2015, the Velyka Oleksandrivka Library had been part of the Docudays UA film club network.
Our meetings were not merely documentary film screenings, but also an open space for dialogue.
Together with our visitors, we discussed important current issues: the protection of human rights, tolerance, the environment, equality, and the role of citizens in society.
Watching films in our club offered an opportunity to reflect critically on reality and to seek ways of bringing positive change to our community.
Unfortunately, due to the full-scale war and its consequences, the film club’s activities are currently suspended.
However, we preserve this experience and believe that one day we will once again gather in our beloved library for shared film screenings under peaceful skies.
